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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23662888">The Bill Comes Due</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calamitous_Magpie/pseuds/Calamitous_Magpie'>Calamitous_Magpie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Temeraire - Naomi Novik</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Missing Scene, William Laurence being controversial again, spoilers for League of Dragons, treaty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:53:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23662888</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calamitous_Magpie/pseuds/Calamitous_Magpie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The backroom discussions behind Perscitia and Temeraire's bill.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Bill Comes Due</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello to AO3! This is my first fic ever posted! Sorry if some of the historical stuff doesn't quite fit; I wrote this awhile ago and I wanted to post something. Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sir, to be clear, this bill is proposing to let dragons be members of Parliament, vote, and be counted as citizens?”</p><p>Hammond pinched the bridge of his nose; he'd been asked this same question a dozen times. “Yes.”</p><p>The ambassador of Russia laughed outright. “You expect us to treat the beasts as if they are human?” he said incredulously, still smirking. Hammond was abruptly thankful for the years of training he had had as an ambassador; without them, he might have knocked the man’s teeth in.</p><p>“The bill states that dragons must be considered full citizens, and not be abused, conscripted, or unpaid for service,” he said as evenly as he could manage. “In addition, they-”</p><p>“Yes, yes,” said the Russian, waving a hand dismissively. “But tell me, general, why in God’s name would we do such a thing? Uproot centuries of tradition, and the very basis of the way much of Europe interacts with dragons, and for what? The whim of an oversized courier?”</p><p>This was a reference to Perscitia. Hammond suppressed a smile as he imagined the ambassador saying the same thing in front of said dragon with her teeth, which were the size of a man’s head, in front of his face. “Her whims, paired Bonaparte’s success in doing exactly as is being proposed, paint a nice picture, I think,” was his response. The Russian leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, and continued to look skeptical. To Hammond’s left, the Prussian ambassador took on a thoughtful expression.</p><p>“It would seem to be effective enough, looking at Bonaparte’s success,” he mused. His hands fidgeted on the table with the fingertips of his formal white gloves. The Russian looked displeased.</p><p>“We can win the war without these new measures - poisoning the ferals seemed a good enough idea to me.” There was no empathy in his tone, only cold indifference. Hammond recalled when he had thought in the same way and found himself disturbed by it; now it seemed no less horrifying than poisoning humans. </p><p>“Can we really?” The Austrian ambassador, Metternich, leaned in, his forearms braced on the table. “Bonaparte has an Aerial Corp like none we have ever seen, short of the Chinese. If we poison those beasts, many of which are already allied to us, then all we do is shoot ourselves in the foot. It would only make it easier for him to convince them to be his allies, instead of ours.”</p><p>“Not if we kill enough of them. The French may have impressive numbers, but their food stores are not enough to provide for nearly all of them. They frequently raid our own to make up for the shortcomings. If a third, half even, of the French - or the would-be-French - dragons suddenly drop dead, then it will not matter how many ferals join him,” he said. This was an unfortunately good point, and Hammond grimaced as low murmurs spread around the room. However, he had one last card that he had yet to play.	</p><p>“There is one very important factor that you are leaving out of the equation, sir,” he said, looking evenly at the Russian ambassador. “and that is Admiral William Laurence.”</p><p>The Russian met his gaze. “I have heard much of him, but I do not see how he is a part of this.”</p><p>He was being stubborn, deliberately ignoring what Hammond was implying. Hammond met his eyes, allowing no room for implications or undertones: this was to be said without weakness.</p><p>“If you follow what is currently your chosen path, he will betray us,” he said, and the shocked hiss that went around the room was practically music to him.</p><p>“Surely,” began the Prussian. “he would not attempt something of the sort a second time. Already he -”</p><p>“He would, sir, and indeed I would not find it unbelievable to know that he has already made up his mind to do so if we choose to poison the dragons. He would fling himself, that dragon of his, and the alliance with the Chinese straight into Bonaparte’s willing arms.” Hammond sat back in his chair, and let his gaze travel to each of the ambassadors’ faces. All of them had become grim - even the Russian, at first so certain and confident, was wavering.</p><p>“If we were to accept the bill as it is,” Metternich began. “would it be possible to alter later, when time is less of a pressing issue?”</p><p>“Yes, I should think so,” said Hammond, trying not to sound to smug. “Is the matter settled, then?”</p><p>If looks could kill, the Russian would have pinned him to the wall with daggers at this point. “Yes,” he said icily; likely he was already trying to find a way to get out of the agreement as soon as the war was over. A general murmur of consensus spread around the room, and when the meeting was adjourned, the way Hammond walked out could only be described as a strut.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Comments and constructive criticism welcome!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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